Little Star :rebirth:
by kimkasa
Summary: When Ryou Bakura moves into Domino City, high school student Kim's life, is turned upside down. Where she quickly finds out that destiny has a purpose for her, but it may not be what she expected. Kim must embark on a journey where duel monsters decide ones fate, magical powers are unlocked, and one decision may alter the path of fate.
1. Prologue

**_Hello there,_**

 _ **This story is something that I have sadly been working on for years! it's actually kinda sad. But I've decided to give it one more go in writing it. It features OC's, so if it isn't your thing, then sorry. Some canon pairings will be involved, but the story is mostly revolved around the OC. Hope you enjoy**_ _._

* * *

 _Prologue_

He stood there, quietly in the abyss.

Well, it wasn't exactly abyss like. He was surrounded by a sea of people, clutching a briefcase that held his books. Dressed in a blue jacket with matching slacks. Being more careful about appearances, he had his coat buttoned up, unlike many of the boys at the school. He stood at the entrance to a large building, where several individuals in his age group meandered around.

His pale hand was suddenly grabbed, by an all too familiar hand. When her fingers laced with his, he looked down, startled to see tanned flesh. only for it to fade back into her typical porcelain complexion.

His brown eyes traveled up, taking in the whole appearance of this girl.

Small, that's what she was. Shorter than he by more than heads length. The top of her head barely touching his chest, and when she looked at him, she had to tilt her head way back. But he didn't mind. It gave him a good look into her face.

On first glance, most would simply overlook her, and that was their mistake. Sure she wasn't as eye catching as most of her fellow school girls. But when he took a good look at her, he could appreciate her appearance. He even dared say, he did find her rather pretty.

Her skin was very fair, almost as pale as he, perhaps more so. But, dotting across her cheeks was a light dusting of freckles, and though her face was pale, it was almost always covered with a light blush. The girl was always blushing about something. Whenever someone directed a question towards her, when he smiled, receiving a scolding, getting compliments. It didn't matter. It seemed as soon as someone focused their attention upon her, she would blush. Depending on the situation, the blush could turn into a dark scarlet, or remain a fair pink.

What really caught his attention though, were her eyes. Hazel, not too almost always covered by the lenses of her glasses. What was special though, were the gold specks that glittered in those green-brown orbs. They always seemed to be staring into nothing, but something that only she could see.

Perhaps that's why she cast his host a second glance. Upon his arrival into this new country, his host had gained the attention of many of the female population of this school. But, only because his outward appearance was pleasing to look at. With a tall lean body, long flowing snow white hair, and warm brown eyes, it wasn't too surprising that many of the girls had all developed shallow feelings.

This girl however, had gazed at him intently, as if she saw something deeper. And he noticed, that when her eyes were on him, the little golden dots would shine brighter than usual.

And if she did sense something more, well, she was correct. He lay deep within his hosts mind and heart, always watching and listening. He had been easily driven back when he foolishly challenged this girl and her little friends to a friendly game of Monster World. Trapped for a long period of time. But, then, out of nowhere, he had felt a tug. Then, a flash as a blue neon-droid monster filled his eyes.

the monster, was just a drawing on a card. But who held the card, is what he believed to have brought him back. At last, he had another chance to start anew. He would sit quietly and wait. Patience had never been his strongest feature. But, after making countless mistakes, he knew this time, he would have to control himself and learn the definition all over again.

Most of the time, his attention was directed towards another teenager. A mutual friend. But lately, he had been having strange visions. And these forced him to watch her instead.

At first, it began when he had been trapped in the shadows. Flashes of a burning village, under ground tombs and strange monsters used to plague him. But, after he had been able to sort through the images, he began to understand that they weren't just strange hallucinations, brought on by the shadows.

They were memories

Specifically, his.

In his hosts unconscious state. He would see a girl walking in the desert, at a far distance. He began to walk towards her, hoping to catch up. But every night, she was further and further away. And, his body seemed unable to move faster in this sleeping state.

Then came Duelist Kingdom. And every time he closed his eyes, the girls figure would be closer and closer.

It wasn't until two nights ago, that he had finally been able to piece together the outward appearance.

 _"KIM!"_ he wanted to scream.

No, his host wanted to scream it. He himself had a different name that lingered on the tip of his tongue.

But for the life of him, he couldn't seem to quite say it.

Then, the past night, right before he had awoken and was forced to go about this school business, he had another.

 _He laid sprawled on stone, where the millennium items laid. Covered in blood, but it was not his own. His hand groped for the millennium puzzle, before he finally managed to place his palm over its eye._

 _"I wish..." he coughed, his fingers beginning to fade away into sand. "give me one more chance. Another life, this just wasn't enough! let me see her, one last time."_

"Come on Ryou, we're going to be late." Kim's voice began to ease into his muddled thoughts, and he snapped back to attention.

"Sorry." Ryou laughed nervously, "guess I'm just spacing out."

Kim just smiled sympathetically, her hazel eyes looking into his, those little golden specks shining intensely.

 _"You may be overlooked, but lucky for me, nobody sees the potential in you, the way I do."_

* * *

 ** _I guess let me know what you think. More chapters coming soon!_**


	2. Recap

**_I should probably be making disclaimers huh?_**

 ** _I do not own Yu-gi-oh, the plot, or its characters. I just own my OC Kim._**

 ** _Enjoy_**

* * *

 _Her feet sank into the sand, each step more difficult than the last. Tiny grains began to intrude her shoes, making it uncomfortable to walk._

 _Gritting her teeth, she trudged on. Ignoring the particles of rough sand grinding at her feet._

 _The sun had set earlier on, it was nice that it's harsh rays weren't beating down on her. At the same time, with no sun to radiate its warmth, the desert wind felt colder, and bit at her exposed skin. Shivering, the young girl pulled her cloak around her a little tighter, shielding her arms. Another thing that she would have to be cautious of, was the predators and wildlife that roamed the desert at night. Snakes and scorpions were easy to miss until it was too late._

 _"Just a little further...then I can rest." she murmured to herself in encouragement. Picking up the pace, she continued on._

"Kim...hey, wake up Kim."

A hand shook her shoulder, and she jolted awake, nearly falling out of her chair. Looking around wildly, she saw that she was the only student left in this class room. Well, other than the one standing above her, with his hand on her shoulder.

Trying to calm her fast beating heart, and adjusting the glasses on her face, she looked up towards the face that belonged to the hand.

Dark brown eyes stared down at her, thin lips tilted up in an amused smile, and shaggy white hair framed his thin face.

"Ryou..." the girl who had been addressed as "Kim" said, dazed. "Is class over?"

"Yes it is sleepy head." the whitenette smiled even more at her, flashing his perfect white teeth. "you slept through it all." the smile disappeared, replaced with a worry frown, as he tilted his head to the side. "which is strange, you like biology."

That's right. The teacher had left the students to work on their spread sheets. Kim had gazed upon hers lazily, drawing out the differnt organs, and writing down her answers. A wave of exhaustion had hit her out of nowhere. Her eyes had become itchy and irritated,

" _I'll just close them for a couple of minutes whilst I think of an answer to this question."_ she had told herself.

Well, so much for a couple of minutes. She looked down, dismayed at her partially answered work sheet.

"yeah, it is weird." she mused, standing from her seat and packing away her books.

"You seem to be tired a lot lately." Ryou told her, staring at her curiously, and the two stepped out into the bustling hallway. "Are you not sleeping well at night?"

Kim smiled a little sadly at him.

"Come on Ryou, you know as well as I do how much sleep I get at night." she told him, giving him a meaningful look, to which he smiled at her sheepishly.

"That is true. It's partially my fault that you don't get much sleep anymore."

As he said those words, a few girls stared at Kim jealously. and Kim couldn't help but blush a little.

"Ryou, don't say it like that." she whined. "It makes it sound like we're..."

"Don't you twist my words!" Ryou protested, and the two began to giggle awkwardly. After their laughter subsided, he said "but really, you drag your feet all day. It's like it's a chore to be awake."

"It basically is." Kim said offhandedly, then hesitated.

Ryou was her best friend,and she knew she could tell him any thing that lingered in her mind.

Just a few months ago, he had transferred into her school, all the way from England. His accent and good looks charmed the entire female population, and even many of the teachers as well. Kim would be a liar if she said that she hadn't fallen under his spell as well. Truth was, she had been rather taken aback by how attractive and polite he was. It was as if he had stepped out of the pages of any teen romance novel.

What surprised her even more, was that Ryou had taken an immediate liking to her. He was the one to turn in his seat and introduce himself, for a second time to her. Going out of his way to ask her questions about the school, the city, herself, and anything else new students typically liked to ask.

Then came Kim's other friends. Anzu Mazaki, Yugi Muto, Katsuya Jounouchi, and Hiroto Honda.

Kim had been friends with Jounouchi first. And he had slowly introduced her to Yugi, Honda and Anzu. Kim liked the four well enough, each had a distinct personality, and they worked well together. Anzu was outgoing, but sensitive to every one else's problems, and was usually the one to bring the group together. Whereas Yugi was quiet, but really sweet. Jounouchi and Honda were tough guys, or at least, they pretended to be. But Jounouchi had a good heart, and good intentions. And Honda was always practical.

While Kim played well with them, she always felt like she was an odd fifth wheel. Not exactly part of the group, but, really nothing without them.

As Kim was getting to know Ryou on his first day, Jounouchi intervened and the other three began to talk to Ryou, asking about himself. It didn't take long for Ryou to talk about role playing games, and his hobby for them. Enthusiastic about the prospect of another game, Jounouchi and Yugi invited themselves to play a new RPG with Ryou. Monster World. Ryou had been hesitant, but accepted the invite.

Up until that point, Kim had felt this new student would be a fun easy friend. Until Monster world was brought up, then she had a bad feeling about this boy. Something stirred in the pit of her stomach, and her skin suddenly felt cold. There wasn't something quite right going on.

She had brushed it off of course. There was no reason for her to feel so odd, she barely knew this new kid.

Ironically though, Kim had this familiar sensation with Yugi the first time she met him, and well...only a few hours later, when she had some trouble with a school mate who claimed to be psychic, did she find the reason why. Just when she was in danger, Yugi, her new friend had stepped in. Only, it wasn't Yugi. Kim felt as if his personality had changed drastically. He was suddenly confident and easily outwitted his opponents, as if it were childs play.

A few weeks later though, Yugi admitted to having a second personality in his mind. But Kim felt that it was more than just a split personality.

And with Ryou's arrival, she was proven correct.

Ryou too, had a personality, much like Yugi. It came from an old artifact. Only, that's where the similarities ended. While Yugi's personality was nice, radiating confidence. Ryou's personality was sinister with a cruel sense of humor.

She hoped nobody ever asked how she and Ryou became friends, because explaining it was a tad bit awkward.

 _"Oh, his darker personality took over and trapped my soul in a figurine Ryou made for me. And I had to play a game to be set free."_

But afterwards, well...Ryou had felt so bad about it, but Kim couldn't find it within herself to be angry at him, nor blame him. Nobody else did either, but she knew the others were wary of him. She felt she should be more wary herself, but being around Ryou was so fun. Ryou's imagination was limitless, and the two were often caught up in a game or a role playing story. Hence why, Kim went to bed so late. Because she and Ryou liked to stay up all hours of the night to try and write their stories together.

Ryou had a good heart as well. He was always eager to please, and more than willing to be the best friend that she wanted.

She knew she could tell Ryou anything. They had only known each other for a few months, but it felt like a few years!

Which is why, she found herself blurting out why she felt so tired all of the time.

"I don't know Ryou." she said,in response to his earlier question. "Even if I go to bed at a reasonable time, I wake up exhausted. I feel like I've been running all night."

Ryou looked thoughtful.

"Do you think you're sleep walking?"

"I doubt it." Kim mused, "But I..well...it's silly really." her cheeks began to color again. "I've been having this same dream. Every time I close my eyes, its the same thing. I'm walking in a desert, trying to reach a person."

This took Ryou by surprise. His mouth fell open in response. Luckily for him, Kim wasn't looking his direction, and he quickly closed his mouth, pressing his thin lips together.

He too had a strange dream in which he watched Kim walk through a desert.

 _"Are we sharing dreams now?_ " he thought to himself.

"But it's just weird. A dream of me walking shouldn't make me feel so tired." Kim said, smiling sheepishly to herself.

"Yeah. how odd." Ryou agreed quickly.

The two teenagers exited the school building and were quiet as they walked through town.

"So...do you still want to come over?" Ryou asked a little shyly. "We can work on homework, so that way we have a free weekend."

"Yeah, that would be great." Kim agreed with a smile, "Then we can dedicate more time to the next chapter in our RPG."

"Exactly," he said, returning her smile.

* * *

 **A/N Sorry, nothing really cool, just a recap. Hopefully chapter two satisfies you better! Please let me know what you think.**


	3. A brief battle

**Thanks to the guest who said they liked the story, and more importantly, thank you for choosing to click on this mess of a story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Blinking slowly, she turned her head to the side, staring lazily at the decorated wall. Hieroglyphics were carved, trailing almost every inch of the brick. A lone torch stood in the corner, barely illuminating the room._

 _Groaning softly, Kim started to sit up, surprised with a sharp pain in her abdomen._

 _"don't move." A voice whispered harshly. Turning her head abruptly, she saw a person, clad in dark robes, covering their entire figure._

 _"Who are you?" she asked hoarsely. "What have you done? Where am I?" her hand clutched at her stomach, where she could feel the sticky substance of blood._

 _"Answers will come in due time. But for now, lay back and rest. Or you'll exasperate the wound."_

 _A tanned hand reached forward, touching her bare shoulder and pushing her onto her back. She could see gold bands covering his wrists. But when she tried to look into the face, all she saw was a dark shadow beneath the hood._

 _"What happened to me?" she asked wearily, "Was it from the desert?" the hand left her shoulder, only to touch her forehead._

 _"Just rest Kim." the voice said gently. "Answers will come to you when you are ready."_

 _"I am ready." she protested faintly. But as she said those words, she gladly hit the pillow, still clutching at the wound that sent pain through her abdomen._

 _The figure said nothing more, and soon she began to drift, her eyes closing. And when she opened them again, she was staring into the vastness of the desert, the pain gone._

 _"You finally came." a different voice said from behind her. Kim stood, frozen as she processed both the words and the sound of this voice._

 _"It sounds so familiar. Where have I heard this voice?" she thought weakly. Slowly, she began to turn to look behind her._

"WAKE ME UP-WAKE ME UP INSIDE-I CAN'T WAKE UP-WAKE ME UP INSIDE. CALL MY NAME IN SAVE ME FROM THE DARK-"

Kim fumbled clumsily for the phone that laid on her bedside table. The ringtone she set that woke her up every single morning.

Groaning in exhaustion, she managed to turn off the music and rolled over to the other side of her bed. Tangled comfortably in her Harry Potter quilt, and the fluffy pillows that practically engulfed her head, why on earth did she ever bother leaving her bed?

She let herself lay there in content silence for a few moments more, before managing to fight her way out of the mess of blankets and sheets. Shivering at the sudden lack of warmth, Kim quickly gathered up her school uniform, and pulled it on. She had just pulled on her socks, when her phone gave a chipper beep. Indicating a text.

 _"Just left for the train station. See you soon!"_

Kim smiled a little. Ryou always sent her a text to let her know he was on his way, so she would hurry along. It worked though. Kim's punctuality left much to be desired.

With renewed energy, Kim slipped on her shoes and stood in front of the mirror, pulling her hair up and making sure she looked presentable for school. By this, she straightened out her shirt a little more, and adjusted the length of her skirt. It still fell to mid thigh.

Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her bag and made her way downstairs to the kitchen, where it was crammed with nine other children, and her parents.

As a child, her father had been in the foster care system in Ireland, later adopted by American parents. Now that he was grown and had a family of his own, he and his wife had decided to open their home to as many children as they possibly could. Kim only had two blood related siblings-both brothers- and the rest were all adopted.

Every morning, it was absolute chaos to try and get every one off to school. But Kim's parents were both very patient, and always managed it some how.

Wading through the swarm of bodies, Kim managed to pluck a piece of toast from a plate and grabbed her lunch, before turning to her mom.

"I'm off to school now mom." she said to the older woman. Her mother merely nodded to her vaguely and Kim stood, hoping for more words to be exchanged. When none were offered, she nodded to her dad awkwardly, and was soon free from the disruptive disorder of her house.

Sighing a bit for no reason, she stuffed the toast into her mouth and began to walk quickly to her usual corner to wait for Ryou.

As she neared it however, she saw that Ryou was already there. Standing patiently, and reading a book. He must had seen her through the corner of his eye, because he closed it and turned to her, giving her a smile.

Kim felt the corners of her mouth tilt upwards as well. It was an automatic response now. If he smiled, she did too.

"Good morning Kim." he said cheerfully. "Ready for another exciting day of school?"

"Oh you know I am." Kim said to him, finishing off her toast. The two began their walk, conversing about school subjects, until Ryou asked.

"By the way, how did you sleep last night?"

"Oh, fine I suppose. Well, more than fine." Kim said to him, now that she thought about it, she had a renewed energy that she hadn't had since...well...before Duelist Kingdom. Shortly after Yugi had received an invitation to Duelist Kingdom, that's when Kim's desert dreams began to happen more and more frequently. And after they came home, it was nightly that she had them.

Ryou nodded to her, seemingly satisfied with this answer.

"Did you sleep ok?" Kim asked, wondering why he'd suddenly ask that.

"Just fine thanks."

Kim opened her mouth to change the subject, when suddenly, a familiar face ran right past her.

"Hi Anzu!" Ryou said in his cheerful tone. Anzu stopped and turned around.

Anzu had short brown hair that was cut almost in a bob, with bangs dangling in her face. Her blue eyes were filled with worry, and she wore the girls uniform, complete with a full bow tie and the pink jacket. Unlike Kim, who wore only the white shirt, and her bow tie hung loose around her collar.

"Bakura. Kim!" Anzu said, relief crossing into her tone. "Yugi's puzzle was stolen."

"What? where?" Ryou asked, looking concerned.

"Over there!" Anzu pointed vaguely in a direction. "We split up, but I'm going to go get the others."

By others, Kim presumed them to be Jounouchi and Honda, their two other friends.

"You do that." Ryou encouraged her. "Kim and I will look for Yugi."

"Thanks guys!" Anzu said, before running away, to their school. Ryou turned around to see where Anzu had been pointing, before ripping open his front jacket, exposing a golden pendent that hung from his neck. Circular, with a triangle in the middle and holding an Egyptian eye in its center, the millennium ring.

"Ah-Ryou!" Kim protested. The ring was what housed this darker personality Ryou had. Though Yugi claimed he had banished it away, Kim wasn't so certain that he would be gone for good.

"Quiet." her friend growled, and Kim paused, before realizing that her uncertainty had been proven correct. His voice had changed to a lower, more sinister tone.

"B-Bakura?" she ventured, and he finally turned to acknowledge her, making Kim's insides freeze with fear.

"Do not fret Kim." he assured her, before holding the millennium ring up to her eye level. "The ring is detecting a bad omen." his brow furrowed even more, "I believe Yugi is supposed to hold the ring, and whoever makes themselves his enemy, is mine too."

"But...you were our-his enemy." Kim began to follow him, as he made his way towards the opposite way of where school was.

"Look, you can go to school if you wish. But I did promise Anzu I'd help find Yugi, and my ring knows exactly where to go." the spirit said impatiently. Kim hesitated, only for a second, but did not turn around. Instead, she walked with him.

 _"I don't really trust him, but I do trust that his millennium item can help us. After all, thanks to the ring, we were able to find Pegasus's castle during Duelist Kingdom. And who knows, maybe he did turn over a new leaf."_ she thought to herself.

The two teenagers came upon a broken down stand, where the ring w was insisting they had to go down an alley. On the walls, though, there were pieces of paper with arrows on them.

"We probably won't need your ring then." Kim said, looking up at Bakura. "Looks like whoever stole the puzzle wanted Yugi to follow,"

"Then we'll follow them as well." Bakura said to her firmly. Kim watched him walk down the alley, Kim watched as he paused by an arrow, look at it for a moment, before taking it and flipping it over. Looking rather pleased with himself for doing it to."

"W-what are you doing?" Kim protested "What if Anzu finds Jounouchi and Honda, and tries to help?"

"And what if someone else tries to follow?" Bakura challenged her. "I'm sure we'll reach Yugi long before the others do."

"But..." Kim wanted to protest, but he was already walking away. Glancing at the arrow, she sighed and continued to follow him. She didn't quite know what would happen if she tried to flip it back over. And while she was standing around with him, she didn't care to find out.

So, saying nothing, she followed him, getting more and more bothered when he flipped every sign around.

Biting her tongue furiously, they continued weaving through alley's until finally, Bakura stopped. Glaring at a worn down warehouse, his millennium ring had stopped glowing.

"I sense a very dark aura here." Bakura told Kim, keeping his glare fixed on the building.

"What kind of dark aura?" Kim asked, glancing the building up and down. But even as she asked, she too felt a little unsettled.

"Come." he said beckoning her to follow him. Scowling a little, since he acted like she was a dog, she reluctantly followed him. The only reason she did bother to trace his footsteps, was because she was curious what was going on. And what Bakura intended to do.

The two came to the door, where Bakura gripped the door handle and jiggled at it, only to find it locked. Frowning a bit, he looked around the building.

"I think there's a window up there." Kim said pointing. Bakura followed her finger before nodding in approval."

"Good." he said to her and they went to the window, looking up happily. "You can go first."

"Me?" Kim asked incredulously, and he nodded.

"Well between the two of us, you are the lightest." he glanced her up and down and frowned thoughtfully. "By maybe five kilograms." he muttered, "But, I don't think you can lift me up."

"You're tall enough." Kim wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of him picking her up, let alone touching her.

"Stop arguing," he growled to her impatiently, and before she could protest any further, he approached her, easily picking her up, and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Hey-wait!" Kim protested, and he readjusted her, before lifting her to the ledge. Grumbling, Kim used what little upper arm strength she had, and managed to pull herself up, her feet scrambling on the wood to get good leverage. She felt his hands stay on her legs to support her.

As she climbed, Kim became consciously aware of the fact she was wearing a skirt-a rather short skirt thank you-and Bakura was below her. Her face burned, and she could feel the blood growing hot around her collar and spreading her entire body. No doubt even her arms and legs would turn red too from embarrassment.

 _"Please don't see anything."_ she begged inwardly, kneeling on the ledge and pushing the window up. Once it was open, she turned around, offering her hand so Bakura could climb up too.

The two were soon inside, and Kim adjusted her skirt, blushing furiously. Bakura seemed to not notice, and if he did, he didn't show it.

Scowling at him accusingly, Kim followed Bakura to the edge of the balcony they had managed to find themselves on, only to overlook a duel happening.

"A duel?" she questioned. "I thought...we would find Yugi."

"We did." Bakura nodded down, and Kim could see her stand out friend. With his spiky magenta and black hair, it was almost impossible to not find him in a crowd. However, when he spoke, Kim recognized it to be Yugi's regular self. Not the other personality that frequently showed up for duels.

And across from him, was a face Kim didn't expect to see ever again, let alone so soon. Standing on the other side of the dueling platform, was a man wearing an American flag over his blonde hair, draped in purple robes.

"Bandit Keith?" Kim gasped quietly. Last she had seen of him, he had been sent spiraling down a trap door Pegasus had activated. After of course, the man had threatened the Duel Monster creator for money.

"The puzzle." Bakura breathed, staring at a golden artifact chained to the wall. Kim looked, to see the golden upside down triangle.

"Wow." Kim said. "They went to extreme lengths for it. But why are they dueling?"

"Come now Kim." Bakura said to her impatiently. "You must know some of the basics about millennium items and games. In order to possess it, you must win it!"

"Ah...right." Kim suddenly felt stupid for asking such a question. Not only did he and Pegasus duel Yugi for the puzzle, but she had been there to witness their horrific magical shadow games. "But I don't see any shadows or such threats." she protested, trying to at least make it look like she knew the "basics"

"Maybe it's not visible to you." Bakura muttered, staring at Yugi's opponent. "But like I said outside, I sense dark energies from the shadow realm. If you would shut up and pay attention, I'm almost certain you would too."

Offended, and a little annoyed by this statement, she began to protest, but as she was about to tell him off, a sudden chill went down her spine and she shuddered. Closing her eyes to steady herself, Kim began to understand what Bakura was talking about.

It was the same feeling she had when she had faced off with Bakura in Monster World, cold fear washing over her as she was engulfed with purple shadows. And the same thing in Duelist Kingdom when Pegasus had brought upon the dark realm.

And there was another thing, a presence that made her spine tingle unplesantly. Frowning thoughtfully, she tried to focus on this presence.

Whoever was playing against Yugi was in complete control, she could sense such authority and power.

"No, Bandit Keith doesn't have this kind of aura." she said to Bakura. "There's just no way, plus why would he want the puzzle? He's petty. He cheated his way through the whole Duelist Kingdom tournament just for money. He probably wouldn't even see the puzzles worth."

"Not him. Another." Bakura said through gritted teeth, getting kind of tired of answering her questions. But, he reasoned with himself, he had to be patient with this girl. She didn't have the advantage of holding another millennium item. So she couldn't possibly know what he did.

"You mean...that dark presence around Bandit Keith is someone controlling him?"

"Yes-I-wait..." he turned to her, "you can feel it too?"

"Well...you said if I would shut up, I would." Kim snapped. The spirit blinked at her before giving her a smirk and turning back to the duel, the smirk falling off his face, only to be replaced with anger.

"Yes. This man is just a puppet" he said in a low voice, his eyes getting darker and darker with anger. "I'll just have to sever the connection."

"Bakura!"

With that, Bakura's ring began to glow and Kim shielded her eyes. A moment later, there was a shock that went through her entire being, and she fell to her knees, clutching at her abdomen.

"Wh-what is happening?" she gasped, sweat beading her forehead, and her shoulders shaking. One part of her was in complete shock at these sensations, and another, she could feel an intense amount of anger. Two opposite emotions clashing against each other in her head.

The glow from Bakura's ring faded, and the spirit knelt down, gripping her shoulders.

"Kim, look at me." he hissed. Somehow, she managed to obey, lifting her gaze, so her hazel orbs, met that of his dark brown ones. "I'm going to go help Yugi. I would be forever grateful if you didn't tell him of my...help."

"But why?" she asked weakly. "And...what happened to me? What did your ring do?"

"If you keep quiet, I'll give you some answers in private." he promised, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Agreed?"

"I-y-yeah. Alright." she agreed. Satisfied, he stood up, and grabbed onto a chain that dangled from the ceiling, and swung down. Kim scrambled to her feet and watched with a mixture of awe and horror, as her friend rammed himself into Bandit Keith, who stumbled away and fell to the ground.

Below Ryou's feet, were scattered pieces of the millennium puzzle. The not even half puzzle still dangled from it's spot on the wall.

"Oh no." Kim said, before finding some stairs, and running down them.

"Oh dear." Ryou said, in his gentle voice as he helped pick up some parts of the puzzle. "Keith sure did a number on your millennium puzzle."

"Yeah." Yugi looked at the shattered pieces in his hands sadly.

"well better broken than stolen." Ryou said, smiling a bit sheepishly. "After all, you put it together once didn't you?"

"I did, but it took me almost eight years to do so," Yugi sighed. "But, I suppose you are right. Who knows, I did it once, so maybe this time it will be easier."

Ryou just smiled at him, but as Yugi gazed at the spot on the wall,where his broken puzzle hung limply, he failed to notice the smile turn to a mischievious smirk. Bakura, gripping a random piece of the puzzle, concentrated on the two items, letting a piece of himself into the golden portion of the puzzle.

"Yugi, you forgot this one." Ryou approached the smaller boy, handing him the piece.

"Oh, thank you Bakura." Yugi said in relief, "If even one piece is missing, then I won't be able to finish it."

"Yes, of course." Ryou said laughing a little bit.

"Yugi, Ryou!" Kim rushed over "Is everything alright?"

"Kim." Yugi exclaimed, but then smiled at her reassuringly. "Y-yeah, everything is ok now. Thanks to Bakura here."

"Oh, I'm glad." Kim looked at the broken puzzle "What happened Yugi?"

"It's a long story." Yugi sighed,

"I'll fill you in on the way to school." Ryou told her, starting to climb off the dueling platform, but lost his footing and fell to the ground, landing hard on his butt.

"You ok?" Kim rushed forward, gripping his shoulders.

"Y-yeah." Ryou began to stand, dusting himself off. "I'm fine. Yugi, I hope you don't mind, but we're going to be going off to school."

"Sure thing, I'm just going to unhook this chain, but I think I'm just going to go home and work on the puzzle."

"I'll tell the others." Ryou promised, before seizing Kim's arm and pushing her forward. Right as he touched her, Kim could tell that her friend was not in control, but the spirit was.

"Thanks again Bakura!" Yugi shouted after the two.

"Why aren't we staying?" Kim protested "Just to be sure he gets out alright?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Bakura said in an offhanded manner. "Now, let's go."

"But-" Kim couldn't get two words out, since he was practically dragging her away. Once they were outside the ware house, and walking down the alleys, he finally released his bruising grip on her upper arm."hang on...uh...spirit?"

"You can just call me Bakura." he said absently.

"Uh...ok, fine." she sighed. "Bakura, you promised me some answers."

"I am aware."

"so, are you going to tell me?"

"Later, come to Ryou's apartment after school, and we'll talk."

The idea of being alone with this spirit made her skin crawl. Without her friends protection, Kim was worried he'd invoke another shadow game. But then...what reason would he want to play a game with her? But, that still couldn't stop him from doing bad things.

"Why can't we talk now?" Kim whined,

"Because now isn't a good time." he growled. Kim frowned some more, but a sudden beeping from her bag made her pause. Sighing a bit, she fumbled for her phone, that kept beeping at her insistently, alerting her of a message. She figured it was Anzu, and decided that her other friends deserved to know that Yugi was ok.

But, as she opened the phone, her eyes widened, and she felt her heart stop.

"Bakura. Yugi...h-he's in the hospital!" she cried.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Kind of a long chapter, but I hope it pays off. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next chapter!**


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